


Forgive me Father

by mrs_tent



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Boarding School, F/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27644473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrs_tent/pseuds/mrs_tent
Summary: An old army contact Father Dom, has sent Father Carney headmaster of St Anthony the Great RC Boarding school for Boys to Strike and Robin for help. A spate of thefts and more besides is causing problems at the famous old school. Strike and Robin go undercover to try and root out the problem, is it just a pupil with problems? a member of staff? or is something more sinister going on?
Relationships: Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	Forgive me Father

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so please be gentle with me. Its set about a year after Troubled Blood. The idea of making Strike go undercover dressed as a priest was fired by 'that' scene in The Crown and I could not get it out of my head.
> 
> St Anthony the Great is a fictional school losely based on Ampleforth 
> 
> The quotes are all quotes from the works of St Anthony the Great
> 
> all mistakes are my own work!

_"One should not say that it is impossible to reach a virtuous life; but one should say that it is not easy" St Anthony the Great_

Of all the people who had walked into the offices of CB Strike Private Investigator, none seemed more out of place to Pat than the middle-aged Priest with a shock of salt and pepper hair standing before her

“Can I help you Father?” she asked gently, wondering if he was lost. They got all sorts coming here, but a Priest was definitely a first.

“um yes” he said hesitantly “is Mr Strike available?”

Pat was just about to shake her head; Strike was in fact available but she liked to train clients not to just turn up without an appointment (once they got into that habit, it was very difficult to stop them turning up whenever they felt like it as if they owned the place!) but something stopped her.

“I will see if he is free Father” she said and she went over to the office door, knocked, and went in. Inside, Strike and Robin were pouring over some photos taken by Barclay for an insurance fraud case.

“you can see here” Robin was saying “limping on the other leg this time”. Strike, if he had only known it, thought Pat was looking at her with that familiar soft gaze he reserved only for Robin. It baffled her why they were not together, but she had learned to steer clear of the topic after several firm rebuffs from Robin when she had brought it up

Strike looked up

“yes Pat?” he said

“I have a Priest outside who wants to see you” she said

“A priest?” laughed Robin “that’s a new one! Something you want to confess Cormoran?”

Strike shrugged with a smile “not that I’m aware of, at least not anything new! Show him in Pat” he added

Robin swept all the photos off the desk back into the folder and sat down looking at Cormoran with an expectant expression.

Pat opened the door

“through there, Father” she said

Robin and Strike stood up

“Father” Strike held out his hand for the Priest to shake and Robin did likewise “I’ Cormoran Strike, this is my partner Robin Ellacourt”

“Mr Strike, Miss Ellacott” the priest shook their hand and they all sat

“so, Father…...?” said Strike

“Father Carney”

“Father Carney, what can we do for you?”

There was a brief silence, but Strike and Robin were used to that. It often took clients quite a while before they felt able to blurt out their story

“you don’t know me Mr Strike” said the priest “but you know my brother in Christ, Father Dominic O Hara I believe?”

“Father Dom?” a smile spread across Strike’s face “yes I do, how is he?”

“he’s well” said Father Carney “sends his best”

“he’s still with the army?” asked Strike

Father Carney nodded

“Father Dom was a great help after my accident” said Strike for Robin’s benefit

“oh” Robin nodded filing it away to ask Strike about later

“Father Dominic suggested I contact you” said Father Carney; he ran his hand through his hair and then looked up at the ceiling “I am headmaster of a boys school” he said “St Anthony’s the Great, you may have head of it”

Strike and Robin nodded, St Anthony the Great, often simply abbreviated to the Great was one of the most well-known and expensive boarding schools in England

“we’re having some difficulties Mr Strike” he said “money is going missing, possessions are being stolen, it’s causing no end of disruption to the school”

“you haven’t called in the police?” asked Robin

The Priest shook his head

“that will be the last resort Miss Ellacott, St Anthony’s is not the sort of school where the parents will want the police called in” he paused “the publicity you understand. I hoped that perhaps you could come and carry out your own investigation. I think it would be best if we could deal with the matter privately and internally if it I possible. If not, then we will of course call in the police, but I would like to try this first”

Strike rubbed his hand along his chin

You want us to come in and question….” he began but Father Carney cut him off

“forgive me Mr Strike but I thought perhaps if you could come undercover that would be best”

“undercover?” said Strike his eyebrows raised “in a boy’s boarding school? I think I may be a little old to be a pupil”

Father Carney flushed

“perhaps as a supply teacher…. I understand you studied English at oxford”

“only for a year” said Strike

“it should be ample for what we need” said Father Carney “I don’t know about Miss Ellacott though” he looked at Robin doubtfully “we do not have any female teachers…..” and then his face brightened “perhaps to assist Matron in the San? Can you do First Aid?”

“I can” said Robin “though I’m a bit rusty”

“its generally patching up cuts and bruises and dealing with the odd broken bone, which we do call a doctor in for obviously” he added hastily

“well er I think we could do that” said Strike “we need to arrange a longer appointment to go through the case in detail” and he stood up to signal the discussion was at an end and held out his hand “we’ll be in touch Father”

“thank you” said Father Carney “here is my card, phone or email me and we’ll arrange to go through everything and make plans” he paused “one other thing Mr Strike, all the teachers are priests so you’ll need to um….” And he gestured at his own black clothes trailing off at Strike’s expression while behind him Robin stifled a giggle

“dress as a priest?” asked Strike blankly

“yes” said Father Carney “be much better, then you won’t stick out”

He left and Strike and Robin looked at each other

“a priest?” said Strike, and he buried his face in his hands as Robin laughed “remind me why I do this again”

“I don’t know what you’re complaining about” said Robin with a grin “I’m going to have to play nursemaid to some over privileged teenage boys. I best revise my First Aid”

“hahahaha I’m glad I’m not a teenage boy” said Strike as a very vivid image of Robin in a nurses uniform of the kind most definitely not worn in hospitals floated into his mind; he pushed it firmly away, now was most definitely not the time!

“weird though” said Robin thoughtfully “that they can’t get a handle on it I mean. Its centuries old isnt it St Anthony’s? this cant be the first time they’ve had this sort of problem, stealing I mean”

“mmmmm” agreed Strike thoughtfully “can you start finding out about the school current staff, activities, that sort of thing”

Robin nodded

“do you know anyone who went there?” she asked curiously “I mean at Oxford there must have been loads of kids from posh schools”

Strike nodded

“yeah I do” he said “Jago Ross went there” and he smiled grimly

**Author's Note:**

> Strike talks with Jago Ross and on the way to St Anthony's, Strike tells Robin about Father Dom


End file.
